What happened
On October 16, 2012, a private Robinson R44-II, registration RA-04206, was conducting a sanctioned private flight from the Bunkovo landing site in the Istra district of the Moscow region to the Plyaz landing site in Voronezh. The flight was intended to be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with a minimum weather requirement of 150 meters visibility and a 2000-meter ceiling.
The pilot arrived at the Bunkovo departure site at approximately 05:30. Due to the absence of a medical professional at the departure site, the pilot made the independent decision to proceed with the flight. After performing a pre-flight inspection and reviewing available meteorological information, likely sourced from the internet, the pilot proceeded with the mission.
The aircraft took off at 09:53. At approximately 11:52, while flying 6.4 km south of the Muravlyanka air traffic service station, the helicopter struck the ground. The accident occurred at coordinates 53°41.610’N 038°31.171’E. The impact resulted in one fatality (the pilot).
The investigation
Investigators noted that the terrain at the crash site is hilly, with an elevation of 218 meters above sea level and a magnetic declination of +9°. The area near the impact site includes a small forest with trees ranging from 20 to 30 meters in height.